This was originally published as part of an email update. Subscribe to receive campus updates in your inbox.
Over the past several years, one of my greatest joys has been helping shape the vision for Tremont’s second campus.
Like any project of this scale, the journey hasn’t been a straight line. We’ve learned from the land, listened to our community, celebrated exciting milestones, and adapted to changing opportunities along the way. Through it all, one thing has remained remarkably constant: our belief that this place can become something truly special.
When I walk the property today, I don’t just see future buildings. I see school groups discovering something new about themselves. I see teachers gathering around a table after a day outdoors. I see families, neighbors, researchers, volunteers, and community members coming together in a place that inspires curiosity, connection, and stewardship.
While our vision remains bold, our plans to bring it to life look a bit different.
As our planning has progressed, we’ve refined the first phase of construction to focus on a new learning center – a building with flexible classroom space and facilities that will serve as a home base for exploration – and the essential infrastructure that will support every future phase of the campus. Rather than waiting until every building can be constructed, this approach allows us to begin welcoming people to the property sooner while creating the foundation for everything that follows.
We’re still on track to become Tennessee’s first Living Building Challenge certified project. We recently officially registered the learning center with the International Living Future Institute as a Living Building Challenge project – an exciting step toward our larger vision for the second campus.
In recent months, we have hosted new adult classes, developed new trails, and worked with community partners to harvest timber for construction.
I’m often reminded that meaningful work rarely happens all at once. It grows thoughtfully, one step at a time. But these milestones remind me that, while the full campus will take years to grow, its purpose is already taking shape.
For Tremont, this work is about more than earning a sustainability certification. It reflects who we are. We believe that the places where we teach about the natural world should also demonstrate how to care for it. We’re creating a campus that not only inspires stewardship but embodies it every single day.
I’m incredibly grateful to the donors, partners, volunteers, design team, and friends who have believed in this vision from the very beginning. Your support has allowed us to keep moving forward with confidence, and I can’t wait to share what comes next.
Catey McClary
President & CEO
Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont
